The Scout Association of Malawi
| The Scout Association of Malawi | |||
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| Country | Malawi | ||
| Founded | 1931/2001 | ||
| Membership | 4,000 | ||
| Affiliation | World Organization of the Scout Movement | ||
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Established in 1931, the Scout Association of Malaŵi (SAM) was disallowed between 1964 and 1996. Scouting in Malaŵi shares history with Zimbabwe and Zambia, with which it was linked for decades. The 4,000 member Scout Association of Malaŵi was reorganized in 1996 and became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in September 2005.
Scouting in the former Rhodesia and Nyasaland started in 1909 during the British colonial era, when the first Boy Scout troop was registered. Scouting grew quickly and in 1924 Rhodesia and Nyasaland sent a large contingent to the second World Scout Jamboree in Ermelunden, Denmark.
The great popularity of the Boy Scout movement was due to its outdoor program such as hiking, camping, cooking and pioneering, which was unusual in the protectorate. Additionally, the training and progressive badge system was targeted towards helping others, leading to responsible citizenship.
Because of the prevailing circumstances earlier in the 20th century, a separate movement was established for black Africans called "Pathfinders". By the 1950s the time was considered to merge both movements into one Scout Association. Since independence, as a Commonwealth member, Scouting in Malaŵi continued under The Scout Association, though it had the option to register directly with the World Scout Bureau. Scouting was banned during the reign of President Hastings Kamuzu Banda since the 1970s, despite the country's longstanding relationship with British Scouting, replaced by a youth movement called Malaŵi Youth Pioneers. Scouting was re-introduced in 2001, after Malaŵi moved from a one-party state to a multi-party democracy in 1994.
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